Canton's downtown ice rink set to open

Skaters from Center Ice will kickoff the second winter season for the revived attraction during First Friday

Kelly Byer CantonRep.com staff writer @kbyerREP

CANTON The Hall of Fame City Ice Rink will return downtown for a second consecutive year.

Mike Gill, who manages the Downtown Canton Special Improvement District, said the ice should be ready Friday (Dec. 1) for skaters. The 60- by 100-foot rink beside the county courthouse opened last year after a seven-year absence.

"We're looking forward to a most successful year this year," Gill said.

With high temperatures ranging from the 40s to low 60s this week, the opening ultimately will be weather dependent.

Tom Schervish, II, who owns and operates Center Ice Sports Complex, said the ice is being maintained with a cooling system below the concrete and a tarp placed over the new Pro Football Hall of Fame logo, which has dark colors that absorb heat.

"I think we're going to be in fine shape," Schervish said.

Events

Skaters from Center Ice's figure skating and Learn To Skate programs will perform to holiday music between 6 and 7 p.m. Friday celebrate opening day. Schervish said public skating, ideally, will begin beforehand. If the ice needs more work, public skating will begin after the Center Ice show and continue until the rink closes at 8 p.m.

From 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. Thursday during Light Up Downtown, kids aged 6 to 8 that play for the Canton-Akron Hockey Association at Center Ice will have a "Winter Classic-style" game. Schervish said Canton Mayor Thomas Bernabei will start the game by dropping the puck.

"We did it last year during Light Up, and the little guys loved it," Schervish said.

Schervish said helmets are not provided but are recommended. No pre-registration is needed, and he suggests participants arrive 15 minutes early to pay and receive skates at Arcade Coneys before the lesson.

Center Ice staff members are volunteering their time at the city rink, Schervish said.

"We just really believe in it as an asset for downtown, so that's why we're putting in the long hours and helping out," he said.

Community effort

Canton officials in 2009 deemed the roughly $30,000 needed to operate the rink through winter too costly. It was revived last year by collaboration between the city, Canton Parks and Recreation, Center Ice Sports Complex, Arcade Coneys, Coon Restoration & Sealants, Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Canton Special Improvement District (SID).

During the first winter of renewed operation, the SID reported $12,978 in revenue and $11,995 in expenses. The SID, a nonprofit funded by a special downtown property tax, manages the ice rink's overall operation.

"All the different partners really spend a lot of money out of their own pockets besides some of the expenses that you actually see," Gill said.

The lofts are represented by a logo on the ice along with the city of Canton, Special Improvement District and Center Ice Sports Complex. The returning logos now surround a prominent Hall of Fame logo.

"Since it's named Hall of Fame City Ice Rink, we thought it'd only be appropriate to have that emblazoned in the ice," Gill said.

The rink is free to use, and skate rentals at Arcade Coneys cost $4 this year. The $1 increase in rentals will help cover ice rink expenses, such as skate purchases, Gill said.

"We're actually buying, probably, a couple of dozen more this year," he said. "Every year we want to keep upgrading so that at some point in time this year or next year we'll have, basically, all new skates there."

More than 4,300 people rented skates last winter, based on the SID's income. The rink closed for the season in late February.